Differences between extension types

A Plugin delivers its functionality through extensions, and Re:Earth Visualizer supports three types: Widget, InfoboxBlock, and StoryBlock. Each type appears in a different part of the interface and is suited to a different purpose.

Choosing the right type is the first decision you make when planning a Plugin, because it determines where your extension appears and how users interact with it.

Extension type	Where it appears	Best suited for
Widget	Floating on the main map view	Persistent controls and displays that are always visible
InfoboxBlock	Inside a feature’s infobox	Details shown when a user selects a specific feature
StoryBlock	Within a story page	Rich content embedded in a guided narrative

Widget

A Widget is an extension that floats on the main view of Visualizer. You can position it along the edges and corners of the screen using the Widget Align System.

Widgets are always visible while the scene is open, making them well suited to controls and displays that users need continuous access to, such as a search box, legend, live data panel, or button that triggers an action in the scene.

Use a Widget when controls or information must stay visible on the map at all times, regardless of what the user is doing in the scene.

InfoboxBlock

An InfoboxBlock is an extension that appears inside the infobox—the panel that opens when a user selects a feature on a layer. The block is displayed as part of that feature’s information.

Because an InfoboxBlock is tied to feature selection, it is well suited to showing content related to a specific feature, such as a formatted data card, a chart built from the feature’s attributes, or details fetched from an external source.

Use an InfoboxBlock when you want to show information about a specific feature only when the user selects it on the map.

StoryBlock

A StoryBlock is an extension embedded in a story page. It becomes part of the story’s content and appears inline as the user moves through the narrative.

StoryBlocks are well suited to enriching a story with custom content beyond standard text and images, such as an interactive chart, timeline, or data-driven graphic that supports the point the story is making.

Use a StoryBlock when you want to add custom content inside a story page rather than on the main map view or in a feature’s infobox.